1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for uniquely identifying castings in serial production, for tracking operating parameters associated with a molding process, and for recording sensed values of such parameters for each individual casting produced by a casting process.
2. Background Information
High volume production of castings used, for example, in automotive engines, typically involves molding by means of sand core packages. According to common practice, each sand core package is assembled from pre-made cores which are filled with melt, cooled, and further processed. Additional processing may include, for example, thermal reclamation of the core sand. Although it is desirable to uniquely identify castings for quality control and other reasons, efforts to provide such identification have generally not been successful in the context of high volume casting operations. One common practice has been to apply a tag or date code to molds, such that the date and a particular work shift are provided in raised relief in the finished product. Unfortunately, in high-volume production, thousands of parts may be made in a single shift, and problems associated with the casting process could necessitate scrapage and/or recall of all the parts produced in a given shift, for that matter, a plurality of shifts. It is desirable, therefore, to have the capability of associating or recording data pertaining to a casting process with each particular cast workpiece. In this manner, if it is determined subsequently that one or more cast workpieces were molded at a time when process parameters were out of specification, the affected castings may be identified with specificity.
The inventors of the present invention have fortuitously devised a system and method for providing unique identification of each casting produced in a foundry, while at the same time providing a system and method for tying each casting to and recording with the casting a plurality of operating parameters associated with the casting process. Thus, as noted above, if imperfect parts or workpieces are produced by the casting process because one or more of the operating parameters drifts out of acceptable limits, the affected parts may be readily identified by doing a search of a memory storage device situated within a molding controller, which will have data sets corresponding to the unique identification for each particular casting, coupled with recorded values for various parameters associated with the molding process.
It is an advantage of the present invention that a system according to this invention may be used to control casting inventories and to provide field service for castings, because each casting will be uniquely identified and the characteristics of the casting process pertaining to each particular casting will be readily ascertainable.
Other advantages of the present invention will become apparent to the reader of this specification.